Device and method for producing a round bale and round bale

Abstract

A device (1) for producing a round bale (20) comprises a feeding station (I) in which stalk-shaped crop material, hay and / or straw can be deposited onto a conveying means (41) as a material web (40), a compression station (II, III) in which the material web (40) can be passed between at least two pressure elements (52, 53) and compressed, a wrapping station (IV) with at least one circumferential press belt (43) around a press chamber (15) into which the compressed material web (40) can be inserted to form the compressed material web (40) into a round bale (20), and a fixing device by means of which a holding element can be wrapped around the round bale (20). The invention further relates to a method for producing a round bale (20) and a particularly compact round bale with a density of at least 180 kg / m³.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for producing a round bale, a method for producing a round bale and such a round bale.

[0002] EP 331 872 A2 discloses a mobile round baler for collecting crops. The crop is picked up and then fed into a baling chamber with a looped baling belt, allowing the crop to be wound up in the baling chamber. The round bales produced in this way have a low density due to the low compression during winding and are therefore only suitable for agricultural use. These round bales are unsuitable for use with pets due to their large volume.

[0003] For the production of loosely wrapped round bales, DE 25 38 164 A1 discloses a round baler on a trailer in which a wrapping space is surrounded by a circulating belt.

[0004] DE 10 2018 007 637 A1 discloses an agricultural round baler in which a baling chamber is surrounded by an endless belt and can be controlled based on the diameter of the bale. Here, too, the problem is that the bale has a low density. Such bales are therefore produced on large-volume farms but are not used for pets in a smaller format.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method for producing a round bale as well as such a round bale which has a particularly compact design with high density.

[0006] This object is achieved with a device having the features of claim 1, a method having the features of claim 9 and a round bale having the features of claim 13.

[0007] The device according to the invention for producing a round bale comprises a feed station in which stalk-shaped crop material, hay, and / or straw can be deposited on a conveyor as a material web. The material web formed by depositing it on the conveyor is fed to a compression station, in which the material web is passed between at least two pressure elements and compressed. Furthermore, the device comprises a wrapping station with at least one circulating press belt and a pressing chamber into which the compressed material web can be introduced to form the compressed material web into a round bale. A fixing device is provided by means of which a holding means can be wrapped around the round bale.This allows the device to produce round bales in a particularly compact design, as the sheet-like crop, hay, and / or straw is first laid loosely on the conveyor as a sheet of material, then compressed in a first step and only wrapped into a round bale after compression. This allows the material to be formed into a high-density round bale in a continuous process.

[0008] Preferably, the conveying means of the feed station is designed as a conveyor belt, by means of which the material web can be guided through the compression station. The web-shaped crop, hay, and / or straw can thus be loosely placed on the conveyor belt and then guided through the compression station by this conveyor belt. The pressure elements for compressing the material web can be formed by sections of conveyor belts, belts, sliding surfaces, or pressure rollers.

[0009] At the compression station, several rollers are preferably provided as pressure elements, arranged offset in the conveying direction and perpendicular thereto, between which the material web is passed in a wave-like manner. In the compression station, not only is the height of the material web reduced, but the material is also pre-creased by a wave-like passage between the rollers. The upper side of the lower rollers is positioned higher than the underside of the upper rollers, creating a wave-like pattern between the rollers, which breaks and pre-creases the material.

[0010] To control the supply of new material, the feed station preferably includes a metering device that controls the amount of material applied to the conveyor. The metering device can comprise one or more driven rollers from which the material is discharged onto the conveyor. The forming of the material web behind the metering device can thus be achieved by gravity.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the wrapping station comprises a rotatably mounted rocker arm with at least one guide roller, by means of which the baling belt is guided. The size of the baling chamber can be changed by a rotating movement of the rocker arm. At least two guide rollers are preferably provided on the rocker arm, with the baling belt being guided away from a circumference of the baling chamber on a first guide roller and the baling belt being guided towards the circumference of the baling chamber on a second guide roller. As a result, the baling belt is formed on the circumference of the baling chamber by at least two different sections, between which a gap is arranged. The guide rollers for the baling belt can also represent pressure rollers for the round bale arranged in the baling chamber. This makes it possible to change the pressure when wrapping the round bale.To minimize material loss due to the division of the press belt, four guide rollers can be provided on the rocker arm, with two guide rollers each guiding the press belt away from the press chamber, and two additional guide rollers guiding a section leading toward the press chamber. A gap can be formed between the two sections of the press belt, preferably an adjustable gap, so that only a small amount of material can escape through the gap.

[0012] To avoid excessive stress on the winding station, a relief opening can be provided between the feed station and the winding station. Part of the material of the compressed material web can be removed through the relief opening, for example by a driven roller on an upper side of the compressed material web, so that in the event of a blockage, excess material can be discharged upwards through the relief opening. To remove the material, the driven roller can be profiled on the circumference. The separated material is then preferably transported from the relief opening via transport means to the entrance of the feed station so that the removed material can be reused. The relief opening can preferably be arranged in front of a driven roller at an entrance to the press chamber in the direction of movement of the material web.

[0013] At the entrance to the press chamber, two driven starter rollers are preferably provided, between which the compressed material web can be passed. The starter rollers help to better direct the material web so that it can then be wound up in the press chamber.

[0014] The device is preferably stationary and comprises a machine frame supported on the ground. The device thus serves to process already harvested stalks, straw, and / or hay, for example, in the form of bales, which are then separated again by a bale opener so that the material can be formed into a compact round bale. The device is therefore not mounted on a vehicle or trailer, although this is also optionally possible.

[0015] In the method according to the invention for producing a round bale, stalk-shaped crop material, hay, and / or straw, is first fed onto a conveyor to form a material web, which is then compressed and guided between at least two pressure elements. The thus compressed material web is then fed into a baling chamber of a wrapping station with a circulating press belt, so that the compressed material web can be wound into a pressed bale in the baling chamber. When the round bale is of sufficient size, a holding device is attached to the round bale to then eject the finished round bale from the baling chamber.In the method according to the invention, the material web is compressed in two stages: in a first step, the material web is passed through and compressed between the at least two pressure elements, so that the compressed material web is fed into the baling chamber for winding the round bale. The method according to the invention thus allows the production of particularly compact, high-density round bales.

[0016] When wrapping the round bale, the baler belt applies a pressure of preferably 2,000 N to 3,000 N to the bale at the end of the wrapping process. This allows for the production of a high-density round bale. At the end of the wrapping process, a sensor can detect the diameter of the round bale so that the material feed is stopped when the desired size is reached, preferably by shutting off the conveyor. The baler belt can continue to be driven independently of the conveyor.

[0017] During compression, the material web is preferably guided in a wave-like pattern to pre-fold the material web. The stalk-shaped crop, hay, and / or straw, thus becomes easier to wind when compressed and becomes more flexible due to the wave-like deformation.

[0018] The harvested material, hay and / or straw used for the process is preferably processed via a bale shredder, i.e. from an existing bale, whereby the material is shredded and then fed to the conveyor via a dosing device.

[0019] The feed or feeding of the conveyor, and optionally also of a pressure belt, is preferably speed-controlled and regulated depending on the diameter of the round bale. The upstream dosing device can also be speed-controlled depending on the diameter of the round bale to generate fine dosing. This allows the feed of material into the baling chamber to be evened out and weight variances during round bale production to be reduced.

[0020] A round bale according to the invention, consisting of a wound material web of stalk-shaped crop, hay, and / or straw, which is held in a substantially cylindrical shape by a holding means, has a density of at least 180 kg / m 3 , preferably a density between 200 kg / m 3 and 350 kg / m 3 . The round bale is thus particularly compact and can be transported and stored effectively.

[0021] The round bale preferably has a volume between 0.5 l and 20 l, especially between 2 l and 10 l, so that the round bale is easy to handle and can be used, for example, for pets, especially rabbits, guinea pigs, and other rodents. The round bales are easy to transport and can be sold commercially.

[0022] Preferably, the round bale is uncut on opposite ends to prevent damage to the raw material during production. The essentially cylindrical shape is achieved by compressing the wound material web.

[0023] The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an apparatus according to the invention for producing a round bale, and Figures 2 to 4 show several views of the wrapping station during the production of a round bale.

[0024] A device 1 for producing a round bale comprises various areas for processing stalk-shaped crop material, hay and / or straw. The starting material can, for example, be in the form of square bales, which are shredded, dedusted, and cleaned of foreign particles via a bale shredder and material processing. The processed material can then be conveyed via a dosing station by dosing the conveyed quantity and then fed to a feed station I. In the feed station I, the stalk-shaped crop material, hay and / or straw is fed onto a conveyor 41 in the form of a conveyor belt, so that the material is present loosely as a material web 40, which is only schematically indicated by the arrow. The material is thus deposited onto the conveyor 41 by gravity or in the airlaying process.

[0025] From the feed station I, the material web 40 is conveyed to a compression station II and III which is made up of two sections. In the first section II of the compression station, the loosely laid material web 40 is covered on the upper side by a pressure belt 42 which runs diagonally downwards, so that a wedge-shaped inlet gap is formed. This inlet gap can be closed off by wall elements on opposite end faces. The pressure belt 42 is guided by deflection rollers 51, whereby sliding plates or other pressure elements can be provided in the wedge-shaped inlet chute instead of the deflection rollers 51 or in addition to them in order to reduce the height of the material web 40. In section II, the material web 40 is thus compressed by the pressure belt 42, which presses onto the material web 40 from above.At the compression station, a sliding plate 5 can be provided in the area II on the underside of the conveyor 41 so that the conveyor belt is supported.

[0026] In the second area III of the compression station, the pre-compressed material web 40 is guided through a gap 2 between pressure elements 52 and 53, which are designed as rollers. An upper side of the lower pressure elements 53 is arranged higher than a lower side of the upper pressure elements, and the pre-compressed material web 40 is guided between the rollers in a wave-like manner. The pressure elements 52 and 53 can be pre-tensioned towards the material web 40 by springs, in particular mechanically or pneumatically, so that further compression of the material web 40 takes place. Due to the wave-like course of the gap 2 between the conveyor 41 and the pressure belt 42, the compressed material web 40 is deformed, and the stalks are at least partially broken and softened to facilitate the subsequent winding process.

[0027] The printing belt 42 is driven by a drive and is preferably moved at the same speed as the conveyor belt, which serves as the conveying means 41. The printing belt 42 can have a belt storage device with a roller 6, which is subjected to a pretensioning force F1 in order to adjust the tension of the printing belt 42 to the desired value.

[0028] A winding station IV is arranged behind the compression stations II and III. The winding station IV comprises an entrance 7 to a press chamber 15. The entrance 7 is formed by a lower starter roller 8 and an upper starter roller 21, through which the compressed material web 40 is passed. Between the upper starter roller 21 and the end of area III of the compression station, a relief opening 18 is provided, through which part of the material of the compressed material web 40 can be removed, for example, if too much material has been fed onto the conveyor 41. The removed material can be conveyed upwards through the relief opening 18 by the starter roller 21 and the pressure belt 42, in order to then be fed via the pressure belt 42 to a deflection roller 32 or another section of the pressure belt 42 of the feed station I, i.e. the removed material is fed back onto the conveyor 41.The starter rollers 21 and 8 can be profiled on the outer circumference to improve contact with the compressed material web.

[0029] The winding station IV comprises a pressing chamber 15, which is at least partially surrounded by a circulating pressing belt 43. The pressing belt 43 is guided over a plurality of deflection rollers 33 and can be moved at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the starter rollers 21 and 8.

[0030] The press belt 43 is guided on the side opposite the inlet 7 by guide rollers 56, which are mounted on a rocker 13. The rocker 13 is rotatably mounted about a pivot point P1 and can thus be moved to change the size of the press chamber 15.

[0031] On the rocker 13, two sections of the press belt 43 are guided on two guide rollers 56. A first section of the press belt 43 is guided away from the baling chamber 15, while a second section is guided towards the baling chamber 15. A gap is formed between the two sections of the press belt 43. The press belt 43 is guided essentially parallel in the area of ​​the two sections, with two additional guide rollers 57 rotatably mounted on the rocker for this purpose. The guide rollers 56 and 57 can be spring-mounted and are preferably adjustable in order to be able to set the gap between the sections. A small gap reduces material loss when winding the round bale.

[0032] The winding process is in the Figures 2 to 4 shown in detail.

[0033] The compressed material web 40 is Figure 2through the inlet 7 of the baling chamber 15, so that initially a small-diameter round bale 20 is produced, which rests against a lower section of the baling belt 43 and an upper section of the baling belt 43. Furthermore, the round bale 20 rests against the lower starter roller 8 and the upper starter roller 21. The peripheral speed of the starter rollers 8 and 21 as well as of the baling belt 43 is the same. The baling belt 43 is guided with a section 9 between the upper starter roller 21 and a deflection roller 55.

[0034] In Figure 3A position of wrapping station IV is shown in which the round bale 20 is of medium size. Due to the enlargement of the round bale, it has moved away from the starter rollers 8 and 21, and the rocker arm 13 has been pivoted counterclockwise around the pivot point P1. The round bale 20 is now held between two sections of the press belt 43, with the rocker arm pressing indirectly against the surface of the round bale 20 with the guide rollers 56.

[0035] In Figure 4The position of wrapping station IV is shown when a round bale 20 has the desired size. The rocker arm 13 has been pivoted further counterclockwise, and the round bale 20 rests against two sections of the press belt 43. The rocker arm 13 is pressed against the round bale 20 with a force F2, and the press belt 43 can then, for example, be subjected to a force of 2,000 N to 3,000 N at the end of the wrapping process. This strongly compresses the round bale 20 during wrapping, whereby the magnitude of the force can be controlled by the rocker arm 13 and the press belt 43 depending on the size of the round bale 20. The rocker arm 13 can preferably be subjected to a force between 0 and 5,000 N. The press belt 43 can be subjected to a force F3 on a deflection roller via a tensioning element, so that the press belt 43 exerts a force of up to 3000N on the round bale 20.

[0036] The size of the round bale 20 can be detected via a sensor. Once the desired diameter is reached, the material feed can be stopped by stopping the conveyor 41 and the pressure belt 42. The press belt 43 can continue to be driven independently of the conveyor 41 and the pressure belt 42.

[0037] Once the wrapping process for the round bale 20 is complete, a holding device can be supplied, such as a band, rope, net, or other elongated element, which is wrapped around the round bale 20. One end of the holding device can optionally also be pierced into the round bale 20 or fixed with an adhesive so that the end of the holding device is fixed and / or invisible. By winding a holding device, the round bale can be held in the desired shape.

[0038] Once the round bale 20 is finished, a lower deflection roller 54 for the baling belt 43 can be pivoted away, leaving a lower side of the baling chamber 15 open and allowing the round bale 20 to fall downwards under its own weight. The deflection roller 54 is then moved back, allowing the baling chamber 15 to be used for the next wrapping process.

[0039] The round bale thus produced preferably has a density of at least 180 kg / m 3 , for example a density between 200 kg / m 3 and 350 kg / m 3 . The round bale 20 is preferably produced with a small volume, for example between 0.5 l and 20 l, in particular 2 l and 10 l, so that the substantially cylindrical round bale can be used as animal feed for pets and rodents.

[0040] The end faces of the round bale can optionally be decorated with decorative elements, such as herbs, carrots, or other plant elements, to enhance the round bale 20. Furthermore, the round bale 20 can be inserted into packaging. List of reference symbols

[0041] 1 Device 2 Gap 5 Slide plate 6 Roller 7 Input 8 Starter roller 9 Section 13 Rocker 15 Bale chamber 18 Relief opening 20 Round bale 21 Starter roller 32 Deflection roller 33 Deflection roller 40 Material web 41 Conveyor 42 Pressure belt 43 Press belt 51 Deflection roller 52 Pressure element 53 Pressure element 54 Deflection roller 55 Deflection roller 56 Guide roller 57 Guide roller IFeed station IICompression station IIICompression station IVWinding station F1Pre-tension force F2Force F3Force P1Pivot point

Claims

1. Device (1) for producing a round bale (20) with a feed station (I) in which stalk-shaped crop, hay and / or straw can be deposited on a conveyor (41) as a material web (40); a compression station (II, III) in which the material web (40) can be passed through and compressed between at least two pressure elements (52, 53); a wrapping station (IV) with at least one circulating press belt (43) around a pressing chamber (15) into which the compressed material web (40) can be introduced in order to form the compressed material web (40) into a round bale (20), and a fixing device by means of which a holding means can be wound around the round bale (20).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveying means (41) of the feed station (I) is designed as a conveyor belt by means of which the material web (40) can be passed through the compression station (II, III).

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in thatin the compression station (II, III) a plurality of rollers arranged offset in the conveying direction and perpendicular to the conveying direction are provided as pressure elements (52, 53) and the material web (40) is guided in a wave-like manner between the rollers.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the feed station (I) comprises a dosing device by means of which the amount of material that can be fed onto the conveyor (41) can be controlled.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe winding station (IV) comprises a rotatably mounted rocker (13) with at least one guide roller (56, 57), by means of which the press belt (43) is guided and the size of the press chamber (15) can be changed, and at least two guide rollers (56) are provided on the rocker (13), and on a first guide roller (56) the press belt (43) is guided away from a circumference of the press chamber (15) and on a second guide roller (56) the press belt (43) is guided towards the circumference of the press chamber (15).

6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that four guide rollers (56, 57) are provided on the rocker (13), and a section of the press belt (43) running away from the press chamber (15) is guided on two guide rollers (56, 57) in each case, and a section of the press belt (43) running towards the press chamber (15) is guided on two guide rollers (56, 57), and a gap is formed between the two sections of the press belt (43).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between the feed station (I) and the winding station (IV) a relief opening (18) is provided through which part of the material of the compressed material web (40) can be removed, wherein the relief opening (18) is arranged in the direction of movement of the material web (40) preferably in front of a driven starter roller (21) at an entrance (7) to the pressing chamber (15).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at an entrance (7) to the pressing chamber (15) two driven starter rollers (8, 21) are provided, between which the compressed material web (40) can be passed and / or the device (1) is arranged stationary and has a machine frame supported on a floor.

9. A method for producing a round bale (20) comprising the following steps: - feeding harvested material, hay and / or straw onto a conveyor means (41) to form a material web (40); - compressing and passing the material web (40) between at least two pressure elements (52, 53); - feeding the compressed material web (40) into a baling chamber (15) of a winding station (IV) with at least one circulating press belt (43); - winding the compressed material web (40) in the baling chamber (15) to form a round bale (20); - attaching a holding means around the round bale (20); and - ejecting the round bale (20) from the baling chamber (15).

10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that that a pressure of 2,000 N to 3,000 N is applied to the round bale (20) at the end of the winding process via the press belt (43).

11. Method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in thatthe material web (40) is guided in a wave-like manner during compression in order to pre-fold the material web (40).

12. Method according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the harvested material, hay and / or straw is processed and shredded via a bale shredder and then fed to the conveying means (41) via a dosing device and / or a feed of the conveying means (41) is regulated in a speed-controlled manner depending on a diameter of the round bale (20).

13. Round bale (20) made of a wound material web (40) of stalk-shaped crop, hay and / or straw, which is held in a substantially cylindrical shape by a holding means, characterized in that the round bale (20) has a density of at least 180 kg / m 3 and the density is particularly between 200 kg / m 3 up to 350 kg / m 3 amounts.

14. Round bale according to claim 13, characterized in thatthe round bale (20) has a volume between 0.5 l and 20 l, in particular between 2 l and 10 l.

15. Round bale according to one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the round bale (20) is uncut on opposite ends.

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